In the past a number of patents have been issued upon devices concerned with the retrieval of a golf ball from a relatively inaccessible location.
The McEvoy U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,875 entitled "Golf Ball Retriever" makes clear that it is well known in the art to have a golf ball retriever that is removably attached to the handle of a golf club. However, the McEvoy device is quite short, and would not be of a length sufficient to enable a golfer to retrieve a golf ball relatively far out into the water of a pond or the like. Also, the McEvoy device is of elaborate construction, so it would necessarily be quite expensive to construct and to purchase.
The Mastroni U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,837 entitled "Golf Club Coupling Assembly" reveals a mechanical assembly enabling the handles of two golf clubs to be joined together, so that one club can be held in the hand, and the other club used for retrieving a golf ball. Obviously the use of the second club for retrieving a golf ball is greatly inferior to a ball retriever enabling a golf ball to actually be picked up, and this coupling device, like the McEvoy patent, would necessarily be expensive to make and would obviously be costly for a golfer to purchase.
With regard to the Sedan U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,402 entitled "Golf Ball Retriever", you will note that this patent shows an elongate structure having one loop for fitting over the handle of a golf club and a second loop for fitting over the club head, with a golf ball grasping structure 14 at the remote end for engaging the ball to be retrieved.
One significant disadvantage of the Sedan arrangement is the considerable amount of overlap involving the end of the retriever device opposite the cup 14, and the part of the golf club involving the face of the club. The overlap would appear to be on the order of at least one foot, meaning that a total of two feet has been lost insofar as involves the effective length of the Sedan Golf Ball Retriever interacting with the golf club.
The Lee U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,681 entitled "Combination Device of Umbrella and Golf Ball Retriever" is a bit different than the others in that instead of using a golf club, this patentee utilizes the handle end of an umbrella for supporting an elongate tube C, at the end of which is a golf ball engaging device E. However, a golfer will not necessarily have an umbrella of suitable length in his or her golf bag, and such an arrangement is far more inconvenient to use than is a golf club for extending the effective length of a ball retriever device. Furthermore, an inspection of FIGS. 3 through 6 of the Lee patent reveals that his device involves the use of complex and therefore expensive components.
The Forey U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,409 entitled "Golf Ball Retriever" shows a slotted sleeve 16 for engaging the handle of a golf club, so that the effective length of the retriever device will be increased. However, the Forey device is necessarily is of expensive construction in that each of the interfitting components of a telescoping nature must be manufactured to a high degree of tolerance if the interfitting parts are to operate together in a correct manner.
In addition, there is a significant amount of lost effective length inasmuch as the sleeve 16 will likely engage the handle of the golf club a number of inches away from the end of the handle, rather than engaging the very end of the handle, as is the case with the present invention.
It was to overcome the significant disadvantages of the prior art devices that the present invention was evolved.